Early fireworks, hype fade into reality for Grizzlies

Grizzlies fans Grant Hall (left) and Steven Blankenship cheer on the Grizzlies as they tip off their season against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night at FedExForum. Despite high expectations, the home team fell in its opener, 96-74.

The Grizzlies started the 2009-10 season on fire before flaming out.

As part of an elaborate pregame performance that featured Three 6 Mafia ... and "American Idol" finalist Lil Rounds ... and the dance troupe JabbaWockeeZ, pyrotechnics exploded behind both backboards. Big blasts that shook the building.

Management spent much of the offseason working to add some sizzle, acquiring high-profile free agents Zach Randolph and Allen Iverson, and then showcasing the new-look Grizzlies at a series of open preseason practices across the city.

And at FedExForum on Wednesday, the hope was to capitalize on all that good feeling and excitement. But an evening that started with fireworks ended with a fizzle, a 96-74 loss to the Detroit Pistons making clear that the Grizzlies are a new team with familiar problems.

Pistons teammates Richard Hamilton and Ben Gordon, unimpressed by the pregame hoopla, combined to score 47 points before 17,212, who watched the Grizzlies shoot badly and defend even worse. It was a tough start for a team that is, without question, a work in progress.

After playing their final preseason game against Charlotte on Friday, coach Lionel Hollins could sense that his players were transitioning to the next stage. At practice, he said, they were more focused. And during a quiet moment about an hour before Wednesday's opener, Hollins offered up an analogy.

"It's like when you take a race horse to a barn, and he's never been in there," Hollins said. "He knows something's going on that's different. Our players are the same way. But I think you have to stay composed and keep focused on the task at hand, versus getting caught up in the hype."

A few feet away, rookie forward DeMarre Carroll sat at his locker and prepared himself for his first NBA game.

"Very special time," he said. "I'm glad it's here, and hopefully we can have an enjoyable opening night -- and a memorable one."

Mike Anderson, Carroll's uncle and his college coach at Missouri, mingled with the Grizzlies staff near the bench before warm-ups. He was part of an eight-person caravan -- "DeMarre's Missouri family," as he called it -- that made the drive from Columbia, Mo.

"He has a chance to take that next step," Anderson said. "What most guys dream of, he's actually getting a chance to realize it here."

The team took the court exactly 14 minutes, 22 seconds before the tip as Rick Trotter, the team's public address announcer, leaned into his microphone: "Ladies and gentlemen, YOUR Memphis Grizzlies!" The crowd cheered because there was much to cheer about. The season was unblemished, for at least another three hours. And fans seemed excited about seeing the team's new players -- or at least most of them.

Allen Iverson, sidelined since the first week of training camp with a strained hamstring, was out of the lineup, though he appears to be nearing a return. He sat at the end of the bench wearing a shiny gray blazer.

"I like the move to bring Iverson in," said Joey Morris, a 32-year-old FedEx employee who took advantage of a 70 percent discount on tickets through Grizzlies.com. "Pau Gasol was your first superstar, and you let him go and didn't get anything back, in my opinion. So he's the first move where they tried to get the fans a superstar. And I do believe O.J. Mayo is going to be a superstar. He's no LeBron James, but in a couple of years ..."

In a couple of years, who knows? The mandate from most fans seems to be win now. They have been patient long enough. Even Morris said he would disappointed if the team were the finish the season with a losing record, again. And a trip to the playoffs sure would be nice.

"I think they got a shot at a 44-win season," he said before the game.